Buxton, who has been the voice of Harrisburg in the state House for two decades, has decided to call it quits when his term expires next year.

“It has been a tremendous honor to serve the citizens of the 103rd legislative district for the past 20 years,” the Democratic lawmaker said. “Working together, we have accomplished much to improve the Harrisburg area for the better.”

Corky Goldstein, former Harrisburg city solicitor and a lifelong city resident, said Buxton, like Piccola, served the people of Harrisburg well.

But he added, “There are many good men and women who are thinking of running. I think fresh ideas and other people coming in is a positive. ... Fresh blood, I believe can be very exciting.”

This change in Harrisburg’s representation in the Legislature comes as the city is entering the uncharted waters of having its financial management fall under the purview of a state-appointed receiver. But Buxton dismissed that as a reason to stick around.

“I really expect the state’s involvement with the city to be well under way and established by the time I officially leave office,” Buxton said.

It was dissatisfaction with Buxton’s representation as well as Piccola’s during the discussion of the state takeover law that prompted Harrisburg City Councilwoman Patty Kim to announce last month that she was going to run for the 103rd House seat regardless of whether Buxton was in the race.

“We had no leadership in the state Legislature,” Kim said at the time of her announcement. “What I saw under Rep. Buxton and his friends, including Sen. Piccola, was working against our interests. We need to have support in the state capital.”

Reached Wednesday, Kim wished Buxton well with his plans.

“My course was set when I announced my candidacy three weeks ago and it will not change. I’ve knocked on 846 doors to date and I will continue to connect with as many people in the district as possible to share my passion to serve them in the state Legislature,” Kim said in an email.

In the past decade, Buxton won re-election in his heavily Democratic district in the face of several controversial votes. They included a vote in favor of a 50 percent pension boost for lawmakers in 2001 and a “yes” vote on the double-digit, middle-of-the-night legislative pay raise in 2005.

He came under criticism in 2007 for going on all-expense-paid retreats to high-priced resorts through his former membership on the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency’s board of directors.

The following year, he faced scrutiny when a grand jury report shone a light on Buxton using his clout to get his son a lucrative contract for information technology services with the House Democrats that became part of the attorney general’s so-called “Bonusgate” investigation.

Those recent controversies nearly caught up with him in 2008, when Karl Singleton nearly upset him in the Democratic primary. Buxton won by 74 votes out of more than 11,000 votes cast, earning him the moniker “Landslide Ron” among some of his House colleagues.

In the House, Buxton said his proudest accomplishment was a short-lived law that blocked Internet service providers from allowing child pornographic content to be viewed in Pennsylvania. A federal court threw out the law, saying it could not be enforced without blocking protected speech.

“For the 18 months that law was in effect, we were told by the state attorney general at the time that they were able to block over 700 child pornography sites coming into people’s living rooms in Pennsylvania,” Buxton said.

Other legislative high points for him included his first bill signed into law that banned low-level alcoholic drinks from being sold at neighborhood grocery stores. Another was his effort last year to stop Piccola’s push to continue the Education Empowerment Act so Harrisburg School District could return the district oversight to the elected school board.

Buxton said his departure from the Legislature next year doesn’t mean he will go away quietly.

“I plan to remain active in my community and will continue to speak out on those issues that I think are important, including any progress that’s being made under the state’s receivership of Harrisburg’s finances,” he said.

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